Akarean Union

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The People's Democratic Union of Akarean States 福国诸州人民民主联邦
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: 蓝天 金日 满地红 Blue Sky, Gold Sun, Wholly Red Earth
Anthem: The Labourers' Call to Arms
Status	Current
Capital	Fujing 8'11°S 96'31°E
Official languages	Mandarin, Hykkogwa, Gaanglanglataal
Other common languages	Oseanian, Edofasian
Ethnic group(s)	58.4% Huan Akarean 9.3% Hykkogwa 12.7% Gaanglanglataal 10.4% Satoyaman 3.3% White Terran 3.1% Suilander 2.4% White Kaltach 0.4% Other
Demonym(s)	Akarean Huanese Hykkogwa Gaanglanglataal Suilander
Government	Federal parliamentary socialist democracy
• Governor	Sun Lu-Tsi
• Deputy Governor	Masayoshi Kurosawa
Legislature	The Great Assembly
Establishment
• The Labourers' Revolution	1919 - 1922
• The Great Referendum	April - August 1923
• The Acts of Union	November & December 1923
Population
• 2015 census	562,640,000 (~10,000)
Currency	Yuan Currency code
Time zone	West Akarea Time Fujing Time Hautsing Time
Calling code	+86
Country code	AKU
Internet TLD	.ak

Not to be confused with Akarea.

The Akarean Union (Akarean Mandarin: 福国联邦; Fúguó Liánbāng or 福国; Fúguó), officially the People's Democratic Union of Akarean States (福国诸州人民民主联邦; Fúguó Zhùzhōu Rénmín Mínzhǔ Liánbāng) is a country straddling the equator in Akarea. It is a union of the governments of six or seven nation-states, almost all of the former territories of the Akarean Empire: Great Huan, Fujing (which is both a constituent state and part of Great Huan), Suiland, Gaanglanglataar, Bantang and West Satoyama. It has land borders with Cenaesia to the north and the Republic of Satoyama east of West Satoyama on the island of Satoyama, and maritime borders with Hykko, Candanadium (Hautsing) and Meltor. As the most populated and most densely populated nation, the largest export economy and one of the largest standing militaries in the world, the Akarean Union is considered one of the great global superpowers.

The capital of Akarea is Fujing. Although Fujing is physically located within Great Huan, it is considered its own state for administrative purposes as the Grand Assembly where the delegates of Akarean states meet is located there, thereby necessitating a certain degree of geopolitical neutrality. Fujing is the most populated and most densely populated city in the world, with some areas reaching the equivalent of 1.3 million people per square kilometre. The terrain of Akarea varies from lowland plains and rolling hills to jungles, rugged coastlines, steep mountain ranges and high plateaus. The northern two-thirds of Great Huan and the entirety of Suiland lie on the South Kaltach Fault, which makes these regions prone to destructive earthquakes and tsunamis.

The first known human inhabitants in Akarea date back several million years, in the Yáolán or "Cradle" immediately south of the Cenaesian Mountains. By the 3rd millennium BCE, the earliest dynastic civilisations had emerged along the fertile coastlines of the southernmost peninsula of the Kaltachian continent. The events of Year 0 led to a breakdown in the authority of these dynasties, leading to the Era of Warring States which would last for over five centuries. When early irrigation methods were discovered by farmers of the Huan dynasty around 400 CE, Huan's ability to feed its troops and their families reliably directly led to a vast strategic and manpower advantage over the other states, leading to a decisive Huan victory as the dynasty overtook the entire peninsula, establishing Great Huan. Over the next 1000 years, the Huan emperors would continue to expand, developing one of the earliest navies in the world and embarking on the Nine Great Campaigns which saw the occupation of neigbouring nations Gaanglanglataar, Satoyama, Suiland, Hautsing and a significant portion of Hykko, now spanning the entire region of Akarea and morphing into the Akarean Empire.

After being introduced to Candanadium around the 1760s, the thrones of the Akarean Empire and Candanadium became formal allies, and trade routes were established between Akarea and Kaltachia. The status quo held for quite some time, leading to the Great Cultural Era in which the arts, sciences and humanities grew considerably, even spilling overseas. Following the Industrial Revolution in the Akarean Empire, civil unrest grew as workers grew dissatisfied with long hours and poor pay. They formed the People's Army and started The Labourers' Revolution, fighting for two years against imperial resistance before sieging the Grand Imperial Palace, culminating in the Grand Rebellion where almost one million civilians torched the palace to the ground and shot the emperor Zhou Huan in what is considered to be the most attended public execution in history. The surviving royalty and noblemen fled Akarea, leaving the People's Army victorious and now in control of all the former territories of the Empire. They immediately disbanded the Empire and founded a new socialist union, extending invites to all the former territories. All accepted this invitation except for mainland Hykko who formed their own sovereign state and Satoyama of which its eastern half formed an independent republic.

The Akarean Union is a unicameral parliamentary democracy; elected delegates from the Akarean States meet in the Grand Assembly to discuss local and national issues. Akarea's system of Market Socialism is defined in the People's Definition of the New Akarean State, and the Union's Constitution protects it, stating that workers control the means of production and the enterprise which stems from it. The currency of Akarea is the Yuan (lit. "Unit") as part of the People's Definition of the New Akarean Economy in which the structure of a Renminbi or People's Currency is outlined. The Akarean Union is not a member of either the Kaltach Union or Terran Commonwealth, though it is a member of the World Congress and has formal relations with both Candanadium and Edofasia - the principal members of these unions respectively - which has been a point of contention throughout the Akarean Union's contemporary geopolitical history. Akarea is known for its cuisines, both traditional and pop culture, and contains nearly 100 designated world heritage sites, the most of any non-aligned nation.

Etymology

The name of the Akarean Union derives from the name of the Akarean Empire, which itself derives from the name of the region of Akarea. The two names are not directly related largely due to the historic isolationism of the region, which itself can be attributed to the challenging geography surrounding the region as well as historical Akarean sailing technology being targeted towards traversing the Danpian rather than open ocean.

Native name

The native name Fuguo (福国, lit. "Blessed Country") derives from the name given to the region by the emperors of the Huan Dynasty, the largest, longest lasting and last of the Akarean dynasties. While Guo (国) literally means "Country", Fu (福, lit. "Blessing") as the name given to the region is said to have stemmed from the Huan belief that the imperial expansionism of Akarea was both a blessing to itself through the acquisition of the riches of the lands occupied, but also a blessing to what they perceived to be less civilised peoples by introducing them to their high culture. Over time, Fu became less associated with its literal meaning and more as a general name of the region. Contemporarily, despite awareness of Fu's origins, the name was kept as the argument was made that the Labourers' Revolution was a blessing to the proletariat of Akarea, as well as Fuguo being an already established and recognised name.

International name

The name Akarea was given to the region by Candanadian journalists during the Sixth Great Campaign which established the relationship between the Akarean Empire and Candanadium. Following the establishment of the Empire as the Huan Dynasty underwent the Nine Great Campaigns, the empire was referred to as the Akarean Empire internationally based on this given name. The namesake stayed when the Empire was disbanded and the Union was founded in its place.

History

Main articles: History of the Akarean Union, History of the Akarean Empire

Prehistory

Archaeological evidence suggests that early hominids have inhabited the region of Akarea as far as 2 million years ago. Fossilised teeth and small bones dating between 780,000 and 620,000 years old and etched tablets exhibiting an early Akarean script dating from between 7000 BCE and 6000 BCE have been found in the Yaolan Province of modern-day Great Huan.

Early dynasties

See also: List of Akarean Dynasties

By the 3rd millennium BCE, early dynastic societies had began to form along the fertile coastlines of the southernmost peninsula of the southernmost tip of Kaltachia south of the Cenaesian Mountains. While the earliest of these societies have been discovered through contemporary archaeology with the discovery of pottery fragments, preserved bones and animal products that may have been used as clothes, accessories or food stores in over 200 individual sites throughout this region, the earliest dynasty with any form of consistent surviving written record is the Men Dynasty which is known to have existed from at least 2030 BCE. By 1000 BCE at least twenty-nine major dynastic civilisations are known to have existed simultaneously.

These societies were relatively isolated from one another as early Akareans were a very sedentary people, although they did engage in trade and some early forms of diplomacy with one another - chiefly consisting of arranged marriages between the families of nobles in exchange for rice and spices or preferential treatment for caravans and travellers. Early Akareans were also a deeply superstitious people, giving rise to a series of ritual practices and folklore that would form a sort of folk polytheistic faith. Though this faith is understood to have no name nor central authority at the time, modern historians consider it a precursor to Luism.

Era of Warring States

Main article: Era of Warring States

In the Year 0, Akarea was subject to a series of natural disasters within just a few short weeks. Earthquakes struck both on land and off both the east and west coasts causing great tsunamis that flooded the lowlands, destroying settlements and farmland. Sudden mass-migrations to hastily-built settlements further inland gave rise to diseases and infections due to poor shelter from a monsoon that is understood to have lasted for at least five months. This, along with the resulting famine, is said to have led to the deaths of countless millions from illness and starvation.

Conditions soon led to a breakdown in the authority of the nobles. Each state eager to restore the benevolence of the Divines began to assemble armies and besiege one another. The Era of Warring States continued for well over 500 years, during which time the states broke down into various warrior clans and warfare became a standard part of life in Akarea even long after the events of the year 0. Due to the frequent clashes and perpetual shifting of borders and populations, record-keeping during this time was reduced to a minimum, leaving modern historians to piece together clues from genetic study and archaeology.

One of these clans, led by the great warrior Huan Ah, mastered many early irrigation techniques around 400 CE. With the ability to move inland and sustain larger armies, his clan was able to seize control of much of the Akarean mainland. Towards the end of the Warring States, the surviving clans and breakaway states surrendered en-masse until Huan had seized control of the entire subcontinent. He established Great Huan and named himself the first Emperor of the Huan Dynasty. Akarea in this state would become known internationally as the Akarean Empire.

Era of the Great Campaigns

During the early centuries of the Huan Dynasty, Huan Ah's heirs considered it their duty to continue Ah's legacy by each performing some great military feat. These feats are known as the Great Campaigns, periods of rapid imperial expansion. All but one of the Campaigns are considered to be decisive Akarean victories.

Under the rule of the second emperor of the dynasty Huan Cao, Akareans developed boats suitable for traversing the shallow waters of the Danpian islands surrounding Great Huan. With these Junks, troops and resources could be sailed in large numbers. The first Great Campaign under Cao saw the Akarean occupation of Satoyama in 535 CE. Satoyama would become Akarea's first overseas territory, intended as a stepping-stone between the mainland and the lands north of the Cenaesian Mountains. Cao thus attempted to expand north from Satoyama later in 539 CE but was thwarted by the Cenaesians, suffering a total defeat. Records indicate just two hundred men managed to retreat alive as their sailing had intended to be one-way and the Junks were not prepared for a fallback. Upon returning to Akarea, Cao abdicated from the throne and committed ritual suicide proclaiming eternal servitude to Su Ling the Goddess of Judgement.

The third emperor Huan Jianping instead opted to sail south through the Danpian, landing on Gaanglanglataar. Akarean forces easily overwhelmed the primitive locals and established initial Akarean rule in Gaanglanglataar in 590 CE. Gaanglanglataaran rebel sects would stage multiple rebellions in 592, 599, 603, 612, 629, 640 and 667, well through into the reign of the fourth emperor Huan Ming whose Great Campaign was the retention of Gaanglanglataar throughout these times. Gaanglanglataar brought horses to Akarea, establishing horseback riding as the dominant method of transport on land.

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